Program One: General and Islamic Education

Sub-Program 1.1: General Education

Overall Goal
All school-age children will have equitable access without discrimination to quality education to acquire competencies needed for a healthy individual, family and social life, and to further their higher education.

Objectives

By 1393(2014):

Increase enrolment to 10 million (8.7 million in basic education and 1.3 million in upper secondary) with increased access to education for girls, kuchis, working children and children with special needs.

Establish 4,690 new schools with special attention to reducing the disparities among provinces, geographical areas as well as socio-economic groups in society:.

Provide a conducive learning environment in all general schools in order to promote the intellectual, physical and psychological development of students.

Strengthen the participation of parents and local elders in the management of schools through the establishment and training of school shuras for all general schools.

Decrease the drop-out rate to 3% and the repetition rate to 11% in general schools.

Strengthen the supervision system and train all general education supervisors.

The number of students in General Education increased to 6.2 million (approximately 36% females) in 1387 (2008) compared to 2.3 million in 1381 (2002). Even with this increase, however, approximately 46% of school age children still do not have access to basic education. The provision of free and quality basic education for all children is one of the main goals of the Ministry. Therefore, the Ministry plans to increase the students’ enrollment in general schools to 10 million - net basic education enrollment rates of boys from 65% to 75% and of girls from 40% to 60% by 1393 (2014).

To achieve this, the Ministry will establish 4,700 new primary schools and upgrade 3,000 primary schools to lower secondary schools. The Ministry also plans to recruit 100,000 new teachers for basic education by 1393 (2014). In order to increase access to upper secondary education the Ministry will recruit 19,000 new teachers for upper secondary schools and upgrade 2,200 lower secondary schools to upper secondary schools by 1393 (2014). Also, In order to provide education services for older children who are out of school and have missed out on education the Ministry will establish 3,200 accelerated learning centers. In addition, the Ministry will implement a communication strategy to increase girls’ enrollment and will provide increased access to primary education for Kuchi children and children with special needs.

Despite implementation of various in-service teacher training programmes, teaching remains largely based on rote learning and teacher-centered methods. Through both in-service and pre-service programs the Ministry will continue to work with teachers to develop their skills in active and learner-centered approaches. The Ministry will also continue to work to attract qualified and motivated university and TTC graduates to enter the teaching profession, through implementation of pay and grade reforms as well as through efforts to increase the number of teachers who are from the rural areas of the country.

One of the Ministry’s main strategies for improving the quality, management and protection of schools has been the formation of school councils. As of 1388 (2009) school Shuras have been established in 8,000 out of 10,998 schools. The Ministry will continue to establish school councils for all schools and train the council members.

Sub-Program 1.2: Islamic Education

Overall Goal
Develop and improve Islamic education in order to develop young people with capabilities needed for teaching; religious preaching; leading prayers; working in government, non-government and private organizations and pursuing their studies in higher education institutes.

Objectives

Increase enrolment in Islamic schools to 190,000 students by 1393 (2014).

Increase enrolment of students in Dar-ul-Ulums (grades 13-14) to 10,000 students by 1393 (2014).

Increase enrolment of females in Islamic schools and Dar-ul-Ulums to 40% of the total students by 1393 (2014).

Develop and improve the academic supervision system in Islamic schools and Dar-ul-Ulums by 1390 (2011).

The curriculum of the Islamic Education system is being revised to include Islamic studies as well as general education content such as mathematics, science, social sciences, National languages (Pashto and Dari) and English. In addition to the inclusion of General Education subjects in the Islamic Education curriculum, the new curriculum is based on the two formal religious sects (Hanafi and Jafari) in Afghanistan which will improve the quality of Islamic education in the country. Based on the revised curriculum the Ministry plans to continue to increase the number of Islamic schools and learners in the country. As of 1387 (2008) there were 511 Islamic Education institutions throughout the country and the number of Islamic students increased from 58,000 in 1385 (2006) to 106,000 in 1387(2008).

Currently only five percent of Islamic education students are females, but the Ministry plans to increase the number of female students to 40% of the total by 1393 (2014). This will be done by establishing 32 Da-ul-Ulums for girls in the provinces.

The total number of Islamic Education teachers increased to 4,144 (52/.013% females) in 1387(2008), but the number of professional and qualified teachers is still low. Therefore, the Ministry also plans to recruit around 3000 new professional teachers by 1393(2014).

The Islamic Education High Council was established in 1386 (2007) to regulate and revise the Islamic Education system and to supervise its activities. In addition in 1389 (2010) the Ministry will establish an Islamic Education Board, consisting of scholars and experts, chaired by a senior MoE official (Deputy Minister for Islamic Education), that will be responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to the leadership of the Ministry on how to improve the quality of Islamic education throughout the country.